Copywriting Information |
|
10 Things You Should Expect From Your Website Copywriter
As websites and electronic commerce are becoming more and more common, business owners and marketing managers are realising that quality web copy is every bit as important as impressive design. And with the ever increasing importance of search engine presence, the role of web copy has never been more critical. But in such a relatively new field, customers are still coming to grips with what they can expect of their website copywriter. The question a lot of people are asking is, "How do I know I'll get what I pay for?" Before engaging a website copywriter for your next project, ask them whether they're able to provide you with the following ten essentials? 1) Fixed Quote A lot of website copywriters will tell you they only work on an hourly rate. They'll cite varying requirements, rapidly changing technologies, greater incentive, the risk of customer indecision, and a host of other reasons why they can't provide a fixed quote. But don't be fooled. You have a right to know what the job is going to cost you. If a website copywriter won't give you a fixed quote, think twice? 2) Contract of Works to be Completed Just as important as a fixed quote is a signed contract. It may not be drawn up by a lawyer, but a written and signed document outlining the works to be carried out, and the cost of those works is essential. If a website copywriter is reluctant to provide a written, itemised quote including estimated number of words, you have to ask yourself why. 3) Timeframe Always ask how long your job is going to take. If you've already had a go at writing your own web copy, you'll know how time consuming it is. Never make the mistake of thinking the job will be done in a day. Granted, a professional website copywriter will be very efficient in crafting your copy, but no matter who the writer, a quality product requires time. And on top of writing time, remember that you'll have to review and provide feedback on everything they write. In a lot of cases, it's the review phase that takes the most time, so make sure you try to set some time aside, otherwise you'll find yourself the bottleneck! 4) Plan of Attack Try to get some idea from your website copywriter about how they plan to approach your project. Don't be fooled into believing you have to hand over the dollars before they'll reveal their plan of attack. You have a right to be comfortable with their approach before you engage their services. Will you receive individual drafts of every page, or a single draft of the entire site? What format will you receive the finished product in? How many review iterations do they anticipate? 5) Samples A lot of ambitious web service providers of all types are calling themselves writers these days. They offer copywriting as a specialist service, but don't engage a specialist to complete the work. Always ask to see samples of their previous copy. Read it thoroughly and ask yourself, "Does this copy convey benefits?". Pretend you're the intended audience and ask "Does this copy answer the questions I need answered before I'll buy?" 6) CV Most copywriters' websites will give you a very high-level overview of their business and the services they offer. Some even offer samples. But very few offer a professional biography of their writers. If you're not happy relying on their website as your sole source of information, ask for a copy of their CV. The things you're looking for are a professional history in writing, and preferably some tertiary education in the same. 7) Testimonials Perhaps the best indication of a website copywriter's ability is customer satisfaction. Don't be afraid of asking for customer testimonials. A good website copywriter will be proud of their testimonials - so proud, in fact, that they'll be offering them without you even asking. Look for testimonials from companies you recognise and/or can verify. Anyone can get their great-aunt write them a testimonial. Some will even write their own. If you really want to be sure, ask for contact details so you can give the customer a call and hear it straight from the horse's mouth. 8) SEO Copy Skills Approximately 80% of all web traffic comes through search engines, so it's essential that your website copywriter has proven experience in SEO copy. Ask them their general approach to SEO copy. Do they normally perform the keyword analysis themselves? How do they know when they've used enough keywords in enough of the right places? Can they show you a high ranking site they've written the copy for? What steps do they take to avoid diluting the effectiveness of your primary keyword phrases? Will their SEO copy change the text links on your pages? (It should!) 9) SEO Copy at No Extra Charge! Never be fooled into paying more for SEO copy. If you've already performed your keyword analysis, and you know where you want your keyword phrases used, writing of the copy should take no longer than usual. I'll say it again? SEO copy is not an extra - it's how web copy should be written! Do not pay extra for it! The only things you should expect to pay extra for are keyword analyses, adding the HTML code for unmarked text links, providing guidance on site structure, sourcing of inbound links to your site, etc. SEO copy by itself should cost no extra. 10) Writing Experience for Online Media Writing for an online medium is entirely different to writing for print. Readers have different requirements and objectives, and reading conditions are very different. Make sure your website copywriter knows how to cater to these differences. Ask them to recommend a maximum page length or word count per page. The correct answer should include some comment on the trade-off between the problems of scrolling and the need for a high keyword count for SEO. Ask them whether they prefer long sentences or short (and hope to hear "short"). Ask them whether they will include lots of text links within the main body of the copy, and if so, will they appear as regular links (colored and underlined) or will they be unmarked. Professionally written copy can mean the difference between a great looking site and a great looking site THAT EARNS YOU MONEY. Choose your website copywriter carefully. About The Author * Glenn Murray is an SEO copywriter and Article Submission Specialist. He is a director of PublishHub and also of copywriting studio Divine Write. He can be contacted on Sydney +612 4334 6222 or at glenn@divinewrite.com. Visit http://www.divinewrite.com or http://www.publishhub.com for further details, more FREE articles, or to purchase his e-book, 'SEO Secrets'.
MORE RESOURCES: Fundraising Copywriting on the Right In the Second Trump Era Campaigns & Elections Can (or will) AI Replace Copywriters? Browser Media 13 Best Copywriting Practices - Writing for the Web in 2024 Influencer Marketing Hub The Best AI Copywriting Tools: Find Your Perfect Match in 2024 The Tech Report "It's not enough to be a good writer”: Zosia Swidlicka on the importance of brand language in copywriting Creative Bloq I lost my job to ChatGPT and was made obsolete Business Insider The Ultimate Guide to SEO Copywriting in 2024 Influencer Marketing Hub The best AI copywriting tools currently available Android Authority 7 Best AI Copywriting Tools to Use for Better Ideas and Efficiency Influencer Marketing Hub Copywriting's Great Pun Debate: Punderful or Punfortunate? | LBBOnline Little Black Book 7 skills copywriters can learn from comedians Browser Media I'm ChatGPT, and for the Love of God, Please Don't Make Me Do Any More Copywriting McSweeney's Internet Tendency 'We're all maggots': an audience with Jim Riswold, the copywriter behind some of Nike's greatest adverts Financial Times Best AI Copywriting Tools to Generate Content MobileAppDaily How a Gen-Z Copywriting Community Became a Recruitment Service | LBBOnline Little Black Book - LBBonline Seven FREE Places on Copywriting for Musicians Course Offered | Fireplace Arts & Media | Artist News NZ Music Commission ChatGPT took their jobs. Now they're dog walkers and HVAC techs. The Washington Post She Built A Million-Dollar, One-Person Business While Raising Four Children Ages Nine And Under Forbes Solomon tells FutureBook writers 'can't afford' for copywriting jobs to be lost to AI The Bookseller Creative Minds: Jerome Lum stumbled upon a career in copywriting and became the office guy with the best taste in ... Campaign Asia Consider a Career in Copywriting | Media, Film, TV & Animation Sector Career Story | CareersPortal.ie CareersPortal ‘Copywriter hungry for Swiggy’: Kolkata man applies for copywriting job with creative 11-page deck pitch The Indian Express Nobody Taught Me: Adman Bodhisatva Dasgupta Launches Course to Bridge India's Copywriting Gap YourStory Drowning In Content – From Copywriter Relevance to the Age of Artificial Intelligence | LBBOnline Little Black Book iWave Acquires AI Platform For Fundraising Copywriting - The NonProfit Times The NonProfit Times A copywriter laid-off without an explanation blames ChatGPT: report Business Insider Outshinery Launches New Service: Compelling and Optimized Ecommerce Copywriting for Wine wineindustryadvisor.com Vale Geoff Fischer ~ A Life Well-Lived in Copywriting Campaign Brief Copywriter - Part or Full Time Working Available - London | The Bookseller Careers & Jobs The Bookseller Learn to write like a copywriter with AdSchool's Copywriting course - kicking off September 21 Campaign Brief WA Copywriters on Writing Dialogue that Connects | LBBOnline Little Black Book Top Responsibilities and Skills of Copywriters | Study MarketingProfs.com How I Made $175K in a Year From Home As a Freelancer on Fiverr Business Insider What could ChatGPT mean for copywriters? Marketing Brew Side hustle jobs you can do from home Business Insider How to make up to $13K a month copywriting on Fiverr Business Insider Embracing AI-generated content, BlueFocus will replace human copywriters and creatives | Advertising Campaign Asia AI stealing jobs: Ad agency replaces copywriters, designers with ChatGPT and other AI tools Firstpost The lost art! Why the advertising industry needs to invest in the art of copywriting The Financial Express TOP Copywriting Agency — TOP Agency TOP Agency The Top 6 Skills Every Copywriter Must Have Entrepreneur Tinkering With ChatGPT, Workers Wonder: Will This Take My Job? The New York Times Phrases That Sell: 8 Copywriting Tips Social Media Examiner Alibaba Debuts 'AI Copywriter' Alizila 9 Free Copywriting Podcasts for Ecommerce Merchants Practical Ecommerce Copywriting Can Be a Very Profitable Side Hustle Entrepreneur Everything you need to know about copywriting Morning Brew |
RELATED ARTICLES
The Second Most Important Element of Your Ad... after the Headline Hi {FIRSTNAME Friend},Next time you're flicking through your local newspaper, take a good hard look at the ads. And notice how many of them give you a compelling reason to pick up the phone and get in touch with them now. How To Really Connect With Your Customer In Your Copywriting One of the least talked-about areas in copywriting education is voice. This is probably because it's tough to set general rules for something that's so personal to each of us. Freelancers Can Jump-Start Your Publicity Initiative If you find that your progress is blocked by a lack of time or experience, consider hiring a freelancer to jumpstart your project.Writer's block got you down? Don't let it. The Secret to Web Copywriting Gurudom Have you seen those copywriting gurus, working it on the web? How'd they get so darned famous? How can YOU get what THEY have? Here are some creative ideas for you to kick around and use in your copywriting escapades.1. How To Ethically Use A Swipe File For Your Ad Copy Did you ever wish you could afford to hire one of those professional copy writers who charge $5000 or more to write a simple sales letter? Or worse, have you laid down your hard-earned cash for a self-proclaimed "professional" writer, and gotten back something your 3rd grader could have written?If you spend countless hours staring at a blank page trying to come up with compelling ad copy for that "killer" sales letter (you know, the one that's going to make you rich beyond your wildest dreams?).. Headlines That Pull, Persuade and Propel! When writing direct response copy, there are a few things that can maximize the responsiveness of your message. The first and most important element that can turn any website, salesletter or ad into an action-generating mechanism is the headline. How To Find Freelance Jobs - Writing About Food Did you know that jobs writing about food are available? These opportunities are available in a variety of areas. Employment in these fields is an exciting concept. Copywriting: Drafting Rules for Professionals As a professional contractor who wears many hats, you owe it to yourself and your clients to be as organized as possible. In a previous article, I discussed the importance of delivering an organized draft that your co-creators can easily work from. Why Copywriting Is The Secret To Your Online Success Over the last decade, the number of companies selling their products and services on the Web or sharing information online with their target market has exploded.It's no longer frowned upon to conduct your business on the Web, and huge numbers of people are making a healthy living doing just that. How To Be Creative Network marketing is an art as much as it is an applied science. To take a blank sheet of paper or canvas and draw or paint an interesting picture, you've got to have an imagination and creativity. To Start Making Cash from Your Online Writing, You Must Draw Blood First Writers write just like painters, paint on canvas. This is one of the reasons why it is important that you launch your writing career by getting some freelance writing work that you can get paid for doing. What A Ghostwriter Needs To Do To Earn Top Dollar The huge demand for writers online is really for ghostwriters. A vast majority of the available online writing jobs for an online writer are for ghost writing projects. Freelance Writing As A Career Most people would love to make a living from freelance writing. If you tell people that you are a freelance writer, chances are that they will respond by telling you about their own desire to be a freelance writer. How To Personalize Your Headlines For Increased Profits! Personalizing your headlines to your target audience can significantly improve your sales response. You can do this by mentioning a person by name, their city, their career field, their job title, or group right in the headline. Progressive Headlines Guide Customers To Buy Headlines are, without a doubt, one of the most important elements in copywriting. As has been said countless times before, if you don't get your readers' attention with the headline, the chance of them reading your copy is virtually none. Ten Eye Popping, Jaw Dropping Ad Copy Secrets In order to make more sales and get more profits for your business, fist of all, you should have a good ad copy. Once you master the knowlege for how to get traffic, you will get a lot of visitors to your site. Hook Your Direct Mail Sales Letter Readers With Good Transition Sentences Anglers in Maine catch trout using dry flies with barbless hooks. Unless they keep tension on the line all the way to the net, they lose the trout. Copywriting 101: Exclamation Point, Friend or Foe? My name is Ann and I'm a grammar geek. There, it's out and I'm relieved. Boost Your Conversion Rate In Three Steps When I critique, edit or rewrite sales copy, I discover that many clients commit common errors. Granted, not all of them are writers. Dont Be Satisfied With Your First Draft Sometimes it's a struggle to figure out what's the best thing to say. You're writing a heading, the first sentence of an email, the introduction to a newsletter, a short description on a homepage. |
home | site map |
© 2006 |